First responder who volunteered at Ground Zero to be honored on 9/11

Mark May, a longtime member of the Cedarburg Fire Department who helped search for survivors at Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site, will be honored with a Military & First Responder Award at halftime of the Grafton High School football game on Thursday, Sept. 11 — the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

May, who is now dealing with health problems related to his volunteer work in the aftermath of the attacks, will be one of four people to receive the award during Military and First Responder Night at the high school’s Kellner Field.

In addition to the Fire Department, May served with the Cedarburg Emergency Auxiliary Police, worked in accident fire scene control and weather watch operations and was a emergency response systems trainer. 

Other people who will be honored Thursday are:

• Ken Nawrocki, a U.S. Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War and has long been an active member and leader of the Rose-Harms American Legion Post in Grafton.

Nawrocki, who has been a Legion member for 24 years, served as commander of the Grafton post for three years, was a member of the Legion Executive Committee and received the American Legion Life Award.

• Paul Riegel, who began serving as a firefighter and EMT with the Grafton Fire Department in 2018 following a decade of service with the Cedarburg Fire Department.

Riegel is an EMT captain, was a training officer in the Grafton Fire Department and continues in that role with what is now the Ozaukee Central Fire Department and is a director in the Emergency Management Division of the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.

Riegel’s wife Olivia is a firefighter and paramedic in the Ozaukee Central Fire Department.

• John Stuhlmacher, deputy director of Ozaukee County Emergency Management who has more than 20 years of service in the public safety and disaster response.

Stuhlmacher oversees the Hazardous Materials Response Team, Lake Michigan Search and Rescue Team and Ozaukee Rescue Boat and serves on the Sheriff’s Office Drone Team.

He is co-founder and vice president of the Wisconsin Public Safety Drone Association, an active member of Team Rubicon who has been deployed to 28 disaster areas throughout the country, a U.S. Army and Wisconsin Army National Guard veteran, served a 16-month combat tour in Iraq with the 32nd Military Police Company and has received numerous military honors including the Purple Heart medal, Combat Action Badge and Valorous Unit Award.

Military and First Responder Night is organized by the Grafton School District and Celebrate Grafton.

The Black Hawks’ game against Wisconsin Lutheran kicks off at 7 p.m.